Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Hills and Dogs

I ran this evening with the Trail Monsters at Twin Brooks in Cumberland. We had a good crowd, about a dozen of us in all. The area consists of trails that dart in and out of the woods and fields on rolling hills that provide an excellent workout. I was pretty happy with my pace. Went a bit faster than I had wanted to prior to the run, but it felt great and I'm no worse for the wear. Very happy with how I've felt the past couple of days. I feel like I'm emerging from the cocoon of injury and am feeling strong and getting back the wings I once had.

On that note, I've made the decision to go ahead and run the Vermont 100 on July 20th. Whether this is wise is debatable, but I look at it like this: If you see a dog fall through the ice out on a lake, you must try and save him. Not doing so will result in a lifelong regret of knowing you should have tried to save that dog. The image of the dog struggling to get to safety will be a constant theme in your nightmares. Even if the dog doesn't make it, at least you tried, and all is well with your conscience. I've decided I'm going to try and rescue the dog.

Yep, it's nutty alright. But what the heck? I've got nothing to lose. If I'm having trouble, no problem, I'll just pull out of the race. That very well might be the case. But I'd like to try and feel like I have a chance.

Also, ultras are very different than marathons. Lot's of walking and slow running. But I do appreciate the concern. It'll be a fun experiment if nothing else.